locker

See also: Locker

English

A locker (#1) in a Japanese railway station

Etymology

From lock (lock +‎ -er (patient suffix) or -er (agent noun suffix)) from Old English loc (“fastening, enclosure”), from Proto-Germanic *luką. Cognate with German Loch, Dutch luik, and Dutch loket.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɒk.ə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑ.kɚ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔk.ə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒkə(ɹ)

Noun

locker (plural lockers)

1. A type of storage compartment with a lock, usually used to store personal possessions for public use, such as in schools, railway stations, place of work, gyms, sports centers.

   The student placed her books in her locker when she arrived at school.

2. A lockable cubicle.

   She was afraid to come out of the locker.

3. A storage compartment on a ship, not necessarily one that can be locked.
4. (rare) One who locks something.

   The locker of the trapped chest must be careful, so as not to spring the trap.

5. (automotive) A locking differential.
6. (historical) A customs officer who guards a warehouse.
   • 1845, Reports of cases argued and determined in the courts of Exchequer & Exchequer Chamber, volume 12:

     The actual delivery of the goods is then effected by any person bearing an order from the importer, called a merchant's order, and addressed to the warehouse-keeper, upon the presentment of which the warehouseman delivers the goods, having previously obtained the signature of the locker to it as a proof that the duties have been paid […]

7. (Louisiana) A closet.

Synonyms

• (storage compartment): footlocker

Derived terms

• chain locker
• clasp locker
• Davey Jones' locker
• Davy Jones' locker
• Davy Jones's locker
• Davy's locker
• dip locker
• foot locker
• hurt locker
• locker loop
• locker room
• shot in one's locker
• shot in the locker

 

Translations

storage compartment

• Afrikaans: sluitkas
• Armenian: պահարան (hy) (paharan)
• Bulgarian: шкафче (bg) n (škafče)
• Catalan: armari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鎖櫃／锁柜 (suǒguì)

• Danish: skab (da) n
• Esperanto: ŝlosujo, ŝranko, ŝranketo
• Finnish: lukkokaappi, kaappi (fi), lukkolokero, lokero (fi)
• French: casier (fr) m consigne automatique (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Spind (de) m, Schließfach (de) n
• Hindi: लाकर (hi) m (lākar), कपाट (hi) m (kapāṭ)
• Hungarian: szekrény (hu), öltözőszekrény (hu), fach (hu)
• Italian: armadietto m
• Japanese: 戸棚 (ja) (とだな, todana), ロッカー (ja) (rokkā)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: skap (no) n
• Polish: bakista (pl) f (on a ship)
• Portuguese: armário (pt), cacifo (pt) m, escaninho (pt) m
• Russian: (запирающийся) шка́фчик (ru) m (škáfčik), (запирающийся) я́щик (ru) m (jáščik), рунду́к (ru) m (rundúk) (nautical)
• Spanish: armario (es) m, casillero m, locker (es) m (Latin America), taquilla (es) f
• Thai: ตู้ฝากของ
• Turkish: dolap (tr)
• Ukrainian: ша́фка f (šáfka)
• Vietnamese: tủ khóa

See also

• chest
• trunk

Further reading

• “locker”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “locker”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “locker”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “locker”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.

Anagrams

• relock, rockel

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English locker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.kər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: loc‧ker
• Rhymes: -ɔkər

Noun

locker m (plural lockers, diminutive lockertje n)

1. a locker (lockable storage compartment)

   Synonym: kluis

German

Etymology

From an adjectival form of Middle High German lücke / lugge, with further origin uncertain; perhaps related to Lücke and Loch.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

locker (strong nominative masculine singular lockerer, comparative lockerer, superlative am lockersten)

1. loose
2. relaxed

   Synonym: entspannt

   Antonym: verkrampft

Declension

Positive forms of locker

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist locker	sie ist locker	es ist locker	sie sind locker
strong declension (without article)	nominative	lockerer	lockere	lockeres	lockere
	genitive	lockeren	lockerer	lockeren	lockerer
	dative	lockerem	lockerer	lockerem	lockeren
	accusative	lockeren	lockere	lockeres	lockere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der lockere	die lockere	das lockere	die lockeren
	genitive	des lockeren	der lockeren	des lockeren	der lockeren
	dative	dem lockeren	der lockeren	dem lockeren	den lockeren
	accusative	den lockeren	die lockere	das lockere	die lockeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein lockerer	eine lockere	ein lockeres	(keine) lockeren
	genitive	eines lockeren	einer lockeren	eines lockeren	(keiner) lockeren
	dative	einem lockeren	einer lockeren	einem lockeren	(keinen) lockeren
	accusative	einen lockeren	eine lockere	ein lockeres	(keine) lockeren

Comparative forms of locker

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist lockerer	sie ist lockerer	es ist lockerer	sie sind lockerer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	lockererer	lockerere	lockereres	lockerere
	genitive	lockereren	lockererer	lockereren	lockererer
	dative	lockererem	lockererer	lockererem	lockereren
	accusative	lockereren	lockerere	lockereres	lockerere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der lockerere	die lockerere	das lockerere	die lockereren
	genitive	des lockereren	der lockereren	des lockereren	der lockereren
	dative	dem lockereren	der lockereren	dem lockereren	den lockereren
	accusative	den lockereren	die lockerere	das lockerere	die lockereren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein lockererer	eine lockerere	ein lockereres	(keine) lockereren
	genitive	eines lockereren	einer lockereren	eines lockereren	(keiner) lockereren
	dative	einem lockereren	einer lockereren	einem lockereren	(keinen) lockereren
	accusative	einen lockereren	eine lockerere	ein lockereres	(keine) lockereren

Superlative forms of locker

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am lockersten	sie ist am lockersten	es ist am lockersten	sie sind am lockersten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	lockerster	lockerste	lockerstes	lockerste
	genitive	lockersten	lockerster	lockersten	lockerster
	dative	lockerstem	lockerster	lockerstem	lockersten
	accusative	lockersten	lockerste	lockerstes	lockerste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der lockerste	die lockerste	das lockerste	die lockersten
	genitive	des lockersten	der lockersten	des lockersten	der lockersten
	dative	dem lockersten	der lockersten	dem lockersten	den lockersten
	accusative	den lockersten	die lockerste	das lockerste	die lockersten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein lockerster	eine lockerste	ein lockerstes	(keine) lockersten
	genitive	eines lockersten	einer lockersten	eines lockersten	(keiner) lockersten
	dative	einem lockersten	einer lockersten	einem lockersten	(keinen) lockersten
	accusative	einen lockersten	eine lockerste	ein lockerstes	(keine) lockersten

Adverb

locker

1. loosely
2. relaxedly, casually
3. (with an estimate) easily (expressing confidence in the value)

   Es waren locker hundert Leute auf der Party.

   There were easily a hundred people at the party.

Verb

locker

1. inflection of lockern:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative

Further reading

• “locker” in Duden online
• “locker” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “locker”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English locker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlokeɾ/ [ˈlo.keɾ]
• Rhymes: -okeɾ

Noun

locker m (plural lockeres)

1. (Latin America) locker

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.